Eagles sign RB

Jeff McLane and Zach Berman

This may tell you all you need to know about the severity of Brian Westbrook's concussion: The Eagles signed running back P.J. Hill off the Saints practice squad today, according to a team spokesman.

To make room on the 53-man roster, the team placed linebacker Omar Gaither (foot) on Injured Reserve. That means that Gaither's season is officially over, if there were any doubt.

The 5-foot-10, 218-pound Hill was originally signed by the Saints as a rookie free agent and rushed 26 times for 128 yards during three preseason games. He was released prior to the season before final cuts, but was brought back to the practice squad. He played college at Wisconsin and ran for over 1,000 yards in each of his three seasons with the Badgers.

I actually got to see Hill up close a few times when I covered Penn State. At Wisconsin he was listed much heavier than he is now, which usually happens. But I think they had him at something like 235 pounds. He always looked a legit 235. Maybe he dropped some of the weight. Nevertheless, he was a between-the-tackles-type runner with the Badgers. I thought he would get drafted. It seems as though two DUI arrests scared some teams away. Maybe he's a gem that the running-back-loaded Saints thought they could hide on their practice squad for a season. Maybe not.